The medicaments proposed in the treatment of HIV can be divided up into six classes: nucleoside (nucleotide) reverse transcriptase inhibitors [N(t)RTIs], non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors [NNRTIs], protease inhibitors [PIs], integrase inhibitors [INIs], CCR5 antagonists, and fusion inhibitors.
The introduction of a highly active antiretroviral therapy as HIV treatment has made it possible to significantly reduce mortality and morbidity for patients suffering from HIV throughout the world. The initial treatments recommended for HIV infection include at least two medicaments known to belong to the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor class.
However, most of the compounds used pose toxicity problems, and they all encounter resistance problems. Consequently, a decrease in side effects and an improvement in dosages (for example administration, once a day, of fixed-dose combination pills), which would allow greater compliance by patients, would limit the emergence of resistant variants, and would thus improve the longevity and quality of life of patients, are sought.
There is therefore a need for novel antiviral molecules which are both well tolerated and effective and which also have novel mechanisms of action.
In this context, the inventors have demonstrated that a subfamily of benzoylated nucleoside analogues exhibits, surprisingly, an advantageous antiviral activity both on the native HIV virus and on the resist variants, while at the same time having very low toxicity.